342884 "Well it's true," Caramel said confidently, "I mean think about what you just said to me. You're pretty introspective if nothing else."

342904 Big Macintosh glanced down, avoiding the tan stallion's eyes as he felt his cheeks grow in warmth. He tried as hard as he could to maintain his poker face, but he could tell it wasn't working. "S-So!" He quickly spat out "Do ya... do ya do anythin' special in yer free time?" He dared to glance back up into the other's eyes.

He felt like an idiot for saying that, but it was the first thing to come to his mind.

342948 Caramel paused for a moment to think. It was kind of hard to with Big Mac looking at him like that.

"Well," he said," Nothing I'd exactly call special, but I do a bit in the community theater from time to time." The tan pony chuckled. "Boy that sounds cliche when I say it out loud."

343189 "Theater?" Big Macintosh inquired, his ears erecting as he cocked one of his brows up in question.

343534 "Nothing big," Caramel replied, "I usually just do little bit parts, and improv shows. It's a fun way to spend a day though."

343833 "Sounds better than what I do." Big Macintosh said "I'm one of the biggest stallions around here, so everypony is always badgering me to help them with things... ah don't really mind all that much... but it does get old after a while."

343878 "Well what do you do when people aren't bugging you to help them?"

344185 "Just tryin' to help my family I suppose." Big Macintosh mumbled "Ah ain't never really wanted or needed time for myself... though AJ's been buggin' me for a long time ta just settle down with somepony."

344253 Caramel nodded. "It must get annoying huh?"

344766 Big Mac nodded seemingly glumly. "Ah 'taint even sure if ah want to settle down anytime soon..." He mumbled "AJ say's it'll happen when ah meet the right mare... but ah don't know anymore..." He paused "Yeah, it is pretty annoyin'" He sighed.

345620 "Maybe you should talk to her about it." the tan pony replied. "As for you're mare," Caramel sighed before continuing. He did however manage to plant his smile back on in time for the finish. "All I can offer is some old advice. 'Que sera sera.'"

It was at that point that the waiter at last decided to arrive with the pairs meals. Perfect timing in Caramels opinion. With a smile he raised his water glass. "A toast to an uncertain future."

345900 Big Mac glanced up before giving a small smile and raising his own glass. "Better than a strict path." He said.

345963 Caramel nodded and clinked the glasses together. "With that said, time to dig in," he said playfully before diving into his burger.

346072 Big Mac nodded before taking a gulp of the water and then diving into his meal as well. For such a large stallion, he was slow to eat his food, taking time with each bite as he observed the stallion in front of him, as well as his surroundings.

346111 Caramel on the other hand ate as if the food were going to disappear from his plate at any moment. He did try to slow himself down out of embarrassment when he caught a glimpse of Big Mac, but his mouth was still rarely empty throughout the meal.

346126 Big Macintosh found himself glacing to the sky. "Pegasus ponies really are keeping it nice today." He mumbled.

346208 Caramel nodded as he worked to swallow a particularly large bite. "Good thing too," he said once he'd finished. After a moment he deigned to glace upward as well. "Wow, not a single cloud," he muttered.

346557 "Probably gonna be a big storm soon..." Big Mac mumbled.

346567 Caramel shook his head. "Unless you have word from the team on that, there's no reason to be so pessimistic."

346592 Big Macintosh was silent for several moments "It's usually real nice weather before a big one hits." He mumbled.

347567 "I honestly never noticed that," Caramel responded with a shrug, "I suppose you probably would know better than I do though." He shot the stallion another smile and returned to his meal.

347673 Big Macintosh did the same, and opened his mouth in an attempt to start up conversation once more "So... do you have any family 'sides the ones you work with?" he asked.

347695 "Just my mom and dad," Caramel responded, "One's a doctor and the other's a psychiatrist up at Ponyville hospital. Apart from that we don't really keep in touch with the family." Caramel took a moment to finish his last bite before continuing. "What about you? I hear the Apple family's pretty close. Any favorite cousins or anything?"

347783 "Ah really don't keep in touch with much of the family, all I know is their names." He mumbled "There's always Braeburn, my cousin, but he's a lot closer to Applejack than me, likely cause he and her are a lot younger."

347813 "I suppose that's to be expected," Caramel said with a nod. He paused for a moment to take a drink and stare at his empty plate. "So you up for dessert?"

347922 "Hay yeah." Big Mac said.

347932 Caramel couldn't help chuckling at Big Mac's sudden enthusiasm. "Alright," he said, "What'd you want? I was thinking some ice-cream and pie myself."

347977 "Ah hear their cherry pie is pretty nice..." Big Mac said, thinking a moment "Suppose that'll do. Better than the same old apples."

AND THEN FROLICSOME SHOWED UP OUT OF NOWHERE!
only to disappear and never be seen again.

348084

348084 (Well that was certainly random.)
348040 "Works for me," Caramel said as he waved down the waiter. "Two slices of cherry pie. Vanilla ice-cream on the side," he ordered once their server had arrived, "And make it snappy."

348127 Big Macintosh found himself looking at the waiter and opening his mouth "Eh... please." He added.

348422 Once the waiter had nodded politely and left Caramel turned back to Big Mac. "I guess I was kind of rude huh?" he said with a nervous smile.

348842 Big Mac blinked "Ah thought ah was being overly nice..." He chuckled.

348871 Caramel responded with a chuckle of his own.

349012 Big Macintosh let a smile return to his face "Ah don't know why... but ah think ah'm really enjoyin' this."

349325 Caramel blushed and lowered his eyes. "I'm glad to hear that."

349958 "S-Shoot, did ah make ya uncomfortable 'gain?" He asked, his own cheeks blushing as well.

349969 Caramel shook his head and smiled back up at the stallion. "N-no," he stuttered," It was nice. I just didn't expect it I guess."

350021 Big Macintosh paused for several moments "Ah don't see why ah wouldn't enjoy it, yer a nice stallion ta hang around."

351638 Caramel smiled a touch wider. "It's good to hear that. You;re not bad company yourself."

352495 Big Mac let a smile show on his face, the tough pony from first sight was now a long gone memory, despite only a few hours passing at most.

352581 Caramel felt another blush coming on, but luckily was interrupted by the arrival of the pair's dessert. "Aw good timing," he said cheerfully.

352618 "Ah'd say." Big Macintosh let the words slip out of his mouth before licking his lips, glancing at his pie before taking a bite.

358690 Caramel didn't speak another word until he had already finished with his pie in an almost alarmingly short time. Once he had finished swallowing the vast majority of the sweet in a single bite, he took a nice deep breath an punctuated his act with the simple statement, "Delicious," before diving into the nearby bowl of ice-cream.

358958 Strangely enough, Big Mac finished his pie faster than expected. Almost as if it were a million times better than the meal.

360492 "I take it you like the cherries," Caramel said with a chuckle before shoveling another bite of ice-cream into his mouth. It took a moment for the consequences of such a foolish action to sink in, and when they did the tan pony began to display what was probably his most painful smile of the day. "That's p-pretty c-cold," he stuttered through gritted teeth.

360528 Then I walk in, take your pie, and throw it at a random waiter. Then I yell "Fus Ro Dah" and run out.

360528 Big Macintosh covered his mouth to hold back a chuckle, even though he clearly wanted to.

363950

364440 Caramel laughed himself once he had managed to clear his head. "I guess I ate it a little fast huh?"